When it comes to first impressions in the world of business, branding is indeed king. Your logo is a visual representation of your company. It’s an important aspect to your business’s credibility as it will be seen on stationery, advertising material and websites, giving customers a clear indication of the services or products you offer.

If your logo fails to represent your business or communicate key values to your target market, then it may be worth considering a rebrand. Remember, you could be missing out on potential sales – a new logo design will inform your customers that you’re serious about making a positive change to your business.

To make sure you don’t get left behind, here are the top 5 signs your logo may be in need of a vital refresh:

1 – It’s a love/hate thing, mainly hate

For whatever reason, you simply overlooked your logo when you started developing your branding and as such it’s making an negative impact on your business. It might have initially been down to time, money or even resources that you ended up with this creation, but now you cannot relate or strike any passion to your logo. This is critical for your brand and it’s what customers ultimately associate with – if you hate it, just think what potential customers feel about it. Many people don’t understand how important a professionally designed logo can change a business. A graphic designer can change the ideology of your business into something memorable – it’s always worth spending the extra money on having a bespoke logo designed rather than purchasing one off the shelf.

2 – Be the best, stand out from the rest

Of course everyone wants to stand out from the crowd these days, so it’s worth having a look at the competition and their logo designs. If their branding is better than yours and has proven marketplace results, then you really need to think about getting a new image. Your design needs to be more memorable than theirs, otherwise you will be seen as the poor alternative and consequentially forgettable. If you were the customer who would you choose – hero or zero?

3 – Don’t complicate things, it’s that simple

If your current logo is too complicated, ie, micro elements, multiple colour palettes, then you’ll find that’s it’s a nightmare to reproduce on your advertising material. You may have also found that it’s also expensive when it’s time to print – it may not have even translated well on output, with legibility further damaging your marketing. Changing it for a simpler logo will save you money in the long run and will make it adaptable on almost every promotional product you wish to develop. The very best logos are always the most simplistic, and the clever use of colour, shape and space can produce visually dramatic results.

4 – Adapt with change, not fade away

The marketplace is continuously evolving, so it’s never a good thing if you logo is already considered old fashioned. Many brands have adapted to change over a number of years and have ensured that their designs are never in any danger of getting left behind. Even subtle differences such as a font update or a colour combination applied to the branding can ensure that your logo stays contemporary. Not doing anything is a potentially bad decision, staying with Comic Sans is suicidal.

5 – The evolution is coming

Businesses transform over time, and if yours is expanding it’s current range of products, increasing its online presence, or even merging with another company, it can be a great opportunity to change your design. It may not even reflect your changing business as it exists now, so you need to think carefully about what direction you’re heading towards. Your brand may need to evolve rather than undertake a dramatic transformation which could ultimately lose customers, so an honest consultation with your designer will give you the best possible approach and rework the branding process for your company.